Greg Todd [00:00:00]:
Reducing risk of falls in the home. What are some best ways that you recommend for your clients?
Akemi Mercedes [00:00:06]:
Remove those throw rugs. Yeah, remove the throw rugs. Make sure you have clear pathways. Remove the clutter. You know, where technology is just taking over. So all the cords to your phones and your chargers and all of that, just make sure they're out of the way. Encouraging them. If they, you know, if they've been assessed by a PT and they've been.
Akemi Mercedes [00:00:34]:
It was, you know, determined they need this type of assisted device for walking. You know, encourage them to use it.
Greg Todd [00:00:46]:
This is Secrets for Success. Welcome to the Secrets for Success podcast. It was a great time. Thank you, as always, for joining me. I'm bringing you back Akiva Mercedes. For the second time on the podcast. We're doing an episode called Rapid Fire of Value. Because I try to give value to my people, y'all, that listen to this and all this stuff.
Greg Todd [00:01:10]:
But, you know, it's really cool because the things that I teach you, you're using these things to give value to your audience. So why don't you tell us the audience that you are trying to serve? No.
Akemi Mercedes [00:01:26]:
So we are. Yeah. So kind of from the beginning, like, my husband and I have been in home health for a long time, and we love it, but we really love the Parkinson's community, and we would love to provide them the type of care that they truly need that the current health care system does not provide.
Greg Todd [00:01:52]:
Well, okay, so why don't we start it today? Okay. Now, I want you to think of. I want you to think of a lot of the Parkinson's clients that you have treated over the years. And I'm sure that it's not just treating them. They've asked you a whole bunch of questions. So can I just do some rapid fire? It doesn't have to be long, 30 seconds a minute, like, you know, whatever. But these are questions that I'm sure you have heard, but I'm just going to pick your brain. Is that okay? All right, then I'll, like, give me your invoice after.
Greg Todd [00:02:26]:
Okay. There we go. So one of the big things is, like, my parents are not dealing with Parkinson's.
Akemi Mercedes [00:02:34]:
Right.
Greg Todd [00:02:34]:
But as we're getting parents and loved ones that are aging, I think this is a big question. And so let's we talk about Parkinson's. But when do we know it's time for our loved one to get more help at home? Is there any kind of tips or tricks or things we should be looking for?
Akemi Mercedes [00:03:00]:
I mean, honestly, as soon as they are, if you're noticing any type of decline whatsoever. It doesn't have to be a fall. It doesn't have to be a hospitalization. You know, I mean, as soon as we hit the age of 30, what if without changing anything in our routine, we lose, like, 1 to 3% muscle mass automatically? Right. So, I mean, ideally, if your parents or your older loved ones aren't, you know, moving, if they don't have, like, a consistent, you know, physical activity or exercise routine, it's really important to start one. And especially, I mean, people are retiring a bit later. But I mean, commonly, as soon as you retire, like, you kind of. You're just not using any.
Akemi Mercedes [00:04:02]:
Anything as much as, you know, I.
Greg Todd [00:04:05]:
Think sometimes we're waiting for the, the ball to drop.
Akemi Mercedes [00:04:09]:
Yes.
Greg Todd [00:04:09]:
And it's like, oh, mom and dad or whoever it is.
Akemi Mercedes [00:04:13]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:04:14]:
Okay. Until they fall, I guess they're good. You know what I mean? Like, I, I, I, I really. No, I think that's what's happening because. And, like, you don't know, and they're not necessarily telling us.
Akemi Mercedes [00:04:24]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:04:24]:
So I think just hearing that, like, every year, no matter what, like, there doesn't have to be any huge, you know, event that has to happen, but it's 1 to 3% every year. Wow. Okay, let's talk. Yeah, go ahead.
Akemi Mercedes [00:04:38]:
One, one thing is just to do, like, just go and get a physical therapy evaluation just to assess for mobility and fall risk. And, you know, you know, the PT's gonna use a standardized, you know, assessment that will help determine for their age group, you know, what is their risk of falls, what is their risk of other, you know, other things that could result in, you know, decline. Further decline.
Greg Todd [00:05:05]:
Yeah.
Akemi Mercedes [00:05:05]:
What they could do to prevent that.
Greg Todd [00:05:07]:
Off camera, you have been kind of telling me a bit about the, like, just the wide array of Parkinson's. Okay. So I, So I know that there. And I want to talk about both groups. Right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:05:19]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:05:19]:
I know there's a lot of people that are early onset Parkinson's, and, and we'll talk about that in a sec. But let's talk about those that, like, it's really affecting them.
Akemi Mercedes [00:05:30]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:05:30]:
Okay. So I know that for my loved one, I want to figure out, all right, what's the first thing I need to do? How do I make things safer in a home? And I feel like most of the time, a lot of the bad things are happening in the bathroom.
Akemi Mercedes [00:05:44]:
Yes.
Greg Todd [00:05:45]:
So what can I do for my loved one that's struggling with Parkinson's to the point where you're starting to feel A little on edge. What can we do to make things safer in the bathroom for them?
Akemi Mercedes [00:05:56]:
One of the biggest things we're most commonly recommending is grab bars at the Riverian Cuddies. Yeah. Grab bars is one of the hugest things. So depending on. Because you know, there's five different stages of Parkinson's. So, you know, with the very last stage, like they're probably not walking or they're chair fast or bed fast, but you know, if they're using an assisted device, you know, that can I say that can. Yeah. It depends on how, what stage they're at because, you know, they might not be able to stand in the shower anymore.
Akemi Mercedes [00:06:36]:
Or depending if it's a shower, if it's a tub, if it's a walk in shower, like, you know, it depends on the setup, which is why a home health evaluation, that's the biggest, biggest part of, you know, the evaluation is doing a general home assessment and everything's all from there. Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:06:52]:
Level five, whole different ball game. Level four. Okay. Might be these things. Level three, maybe grab bars. Okay, so how about exercises, things that we can do to just reduce the risk of falls and bad things happening? Are there very simple exercises that you typically recommend for the majority of clients?
Akemi Mercedes [00:07:16]:
So the number one thing I always want to ask first is what do you enjoy? You know, you're not going to do. No one's going to do anything that they're not going to enjoy, no matter if it's the doctor telling them this is what you need to do or a PT telling them this is what you need to do. I know that's not, you know, always easy. Maybe they were just never physically active. But the biggest thing is, like, we always hear about stretching and strengthening and aerobic activity. But amplitude training is one of the biggest, most important things, because as typically as the Parkinson's symptoms progress, you know, the movements get smaller, the body just gets stiffer. So being able to juice, do like any large, big movements, taking bigger steps, you know, opening your arms up wider. Um, I mean, there's so many great programs out there.
Akemi Mercedes [00:08:13]:
I mean, one of the most common or one of the popular ones is LSVT Big.
Greg Todd [00:08:18]:
LSVT Big. Okay.
Akemi Mercedes [00:08:20]:
I'd have to look up what that stands for again. But there's LSVT Loud because it started, I think, by a speech therapist and just to help with the voice that. Oh, not the amplitude of the voice ways, but the.
Greg Todd [00:08:36]:
Yeah, like their volume. Yeah, amplitude.
Akemi Mercedes [00:08:40]:
Yeah. And then it went to LSVT Big removed There's also Parkinson's, Wellness Recovery, PWR or power. Okay. They also work on amplitude. I think Rock City Boxing is a really popular one too. Yeah. But there's a lot of great programs out there now. Parkinson's programs that, you know, or exercise classes, whether it's yoga, tai chi, boxing, dancing.
Akemi Mercedes [00:09:11]:
PD for dance is another big program.
Greg Todd [00:09:14]:
Gotcha. Okay. Reducing risk of falls in a home. What are some best ways that you recommend for your clients?
Akemi Mercedes [00:09:22]:
Remove those throw rugs. Yeah, Remove the throw rugs. Make sure you have clear pathways. Remove the clutter. You know, where technology is just taking over. So all the cords to your phones and your chargers and all of that, just make sure they're out of the way. Encouraging them. If they, you know, if they've been assessed by a PT and they've been, it was, you know, determined.
Akemi Mercedes [00:09:52]:
They need this type of assisted device for walking. You know, encourage them to use it. I know sometimes there can be a bit of resistance with that change and accepting that they need some assistance walking and getting around.
Greg Todd [00:10:06]:
I think one of the tough things is, you know, when you see someone and you feel like you need to help them, they get so offended. Like, oh, my gosh. What? Like, no.
Akemi Mercedes [00:10:18]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:10:19]:
And so I, I, I know a lot of people struggle with. Okay, how do I know how much to help.
Akemi Mercedes [00:10:27]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:10:28]:
Versus how much to kind of lay back?
Akemi Mercedes [00:10:30]:
Right. Oh, man. That really. I feel like so much depends on who you're dealing with. Their personality. Are they just being very stubborn? Yeah. Or is it because they're part. The symptoms are exacerbated and they just need more time? Right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:10:52]:
I think automatically, as caregivers, we want to just jump in and say, sometimes it's the opposite effect, where the client or the family member is more than happy to just sit by and, yeah, go ahead and buy my shoes and put my shirt on and dress me. But one of the biggest things we're educating clients on is when the caregiver is the client, or we're always helping both the client and the caregiver, but we're really teaching the client. You need to do as much as you can on your own. It doesn't matter how much time it takes. Um, and then teaching the caregiver, you know, you need to give them more time. You need to have the patience to allow them that continued independent.
Greg Todd [00:11:36]:
Gotcha. Okay. That. That is fantastic advice, because I know that that is a struggle for so many people.
Akemi Mercedes [00:11:43]:
Yeah. All right. Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:11:45]:
I know there's different levels of Parkinson's, but most people are on Some type of medication. Do you have any tips on how we're supposed to manage medication schedules?
Akemi Mercedes [00:11:57]:
So again, it depends on, you know, if you know, like, how, like, what you're the type of learner you are or what cues or what tools are most helpful for you. Okay. Some people, like, have, you know, have a big calendar or just like to check things off. Sometimes just having the medi set is enough for some level.
Greg Todd [00:12:24]:
The pill.
Akemi Mercedes [00:12:24]:
Yeah. The Pismosis. Yeah. Sometimes having an alarm on your phone or if you have an Alexa or Google or something. There's also a lot of great apps that are coming out, whether it's to track your Parkinson's symptoms or to help with medication management.
Greg Todd [00:12:46]:
Okay, gotcha. Are there any. I'm sure you deal with clients where the caregiver is, like, overexerting them. Are there any things to know when, like, it's too much, too low? And I know that's a hard question, but, like, what do we do? You know?
Akemi Mercedes [00:13:00]:
Yeah. You know, I. If anything, it's the opposite. I've noticed the opposite where they're just not pushing them enough. Enough.
Greg Todd [00:13:09]:
Gotcha.
Akemi Mercedes [00:13:10]:
Okay.
Greg Todd [00:13:10]:
Okay.
Akemi Mercedes [00:13:12]:
I think that's the base. Yeah. Yeah. They're not pushing enough.
Greg Todd [00:13:16]:
So let me ask you this. What should I know about Parkinson's and changes in mobility? You talked about, like, stiffness happening, you know, and that's kind of like the progression. So. So what's. Talk to us dummies. Parkinson's for dummies right now. Help us with the changes in mobility. What happens throughout these stages with mobility.
Akemi Mercedes [00:13:38]:
Yeah. So one of my favorite quotes I hear in the Parkinson's community is, and I mean, this could be applied to a lot of other diagnoses as well. But if you've met one person with Parkinson's, you've only met one person with Parkinson's. I think one of the biggest differences in Parkinson's versus other diagnoses is the why. Incredibly wide range of symptoms there are and the severity of each symptom. So a lot of people, if a person does decide to share, I have Parkinson's, you know, sometimes they may hear, oh, you don't look like you have Parkinson's.
Greg Todd [00:14:23]:
And because it is so different.
Akemi Mercedes [00:14:25]:
Yes. Like, there's up to, like, I think the last time I checked, there's up to like 40 different symptoms that. I mean, everyone knows the tremor, but not everyone has a tremor. Right, right. And there's the motor versus the non motor symptoms. So I veered off your.
Greg Todd [00:14:45]:
No, no, that's it. It's. It's it's the, the difference between, you know, what are the different changes over time. And you're saying that there's like 40 different symptoms and there's. I know you said like five different stages, but everybody can like present so differently. Right? So, yeah, that's huge. Huge simple tools or equipment that you'd recommend just on a whole to the majority of your patients to make life easier for them. I know you said earlier, you know, grab bars like in the bathroom.
Greg Todd [00:15:21]:
So one or two other tools that you're like, hey, you know what? Most of my Parkinson's clients could use this. And it's a little easier.
Akemi Mercedes [00:15:29]:
Oftentimes in the later stages because the mobility becomes an issue. The mobility aids are a big thing, but of course that depends on, you know, ideally you go to a physical therapist to assess that is do you just need a cane? Do you need a walker? Do you need a four wheel walker? Do you need the U walker?
Greg Todd [00:15:49]:
Got you.
Akemi Mercedes [00:15:50]:
Do you need a wheelchair? Do you need, you know, it, it varies widely. But also for even for the patients who may not need an assisted device, there again there are so many, you know, technology and what is available in terms of like to make like ADLs or assisted activities of daily living easier. Like there are like, like shoes and adaptive clothing. All of these really great companies are coming out and realizing, you know, what a gap in the market there is and how much it's needed.
Greg Todd [00:16:29]:
Gotcha. Makes sense.
Akemi Mercedes [00:16:30]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:16:32]:
Helping to reduce anxiety. Me, you talked about this for something else. But reducing anxiety in my loved ones during this difficult time.
Akemi Mercedes [00:16:40]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:16:40]:
For things we could do to support them. Huge.
Akemi Mercedes [00:16:42]:
Huge. Is the mental and emotional health is it, I mean, is hugely ignored. And the rates of anxiety and depression is enormous in the community and not just for the individuals with Parkinson's, but the caregivers as well. I mean the caregiver burden, the stress, the burnout is. It's enormous. Crazy. And I was recently, I recently watched because in November it's National Family Caregiver Month. And there's so many great foundations out there.
Akemi Mercedes [00:17:18]:
Obviously the Michael J. Fox, Brian Grant, Davis Phinney, and then the Parkinson's foundation itself. And they put on a webinar recently where they had six different caregivers. Husbands, wives, daughters. And one of the most common themes I found what was most helpful for them individually and for their loved one struggling with Parkinson's disease and then in their relationship was professional counseling. It made a world of a difference.
Greg Todd [00:17:51]:
You know, it's, it's so interesting. The first two foundations that you talked about. I'm just thinking Michael J. Fox was such a huge part of my childhood. Yeah. And. Yeah. I mean, just so much.
Greg Todd [00:18:05]:
Yeah. Back to future. Okay. It's just amazing.
Akemi Mercedes [00:18:07]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:18:08]:
But you know who else? Brian Grant. I don't know if you. He was a basketball player.
Akemi Mercedes [00:18:12]:
Yes.
Greg Todd [00:18:13]:
And he played for, you know, I'm a Miami Heat guy. Like, my car is blasted in Miami Heat everywhere. He played for the Miami Heat. And so, so it was like, oh my gosh, he has Parkinson's. And, and, and again, this is, this is many years ago when he got, you know, diagnosed.
Akemi Mercedes [00:18:27]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:18:28]:
And I remember I was just like, how, yeah. Brian Grant. How. And it just shows you that it can happen to anyone.
Akemi Mercedes [00:18:35]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:18:35]:
And I also thought, oh, oh, is he gonna walk around with shuffling? And it didn't present like that to him yet. And so that's when I started to like, just. I guess I was ignorant to Parkinson's like that. You think the minute somebody has Parkinson's, they, they, they shuffle and they have your head down and da, da. You have this picture in your head and realize, wow, it really is such a wide array.
Akemi Mercedes [00:18:58]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:18:58]:
So it's so wild. Okay, can we go back to the safety stuff for a second? We talked about the bathroom. What are some things in the kitchen? I know you said no, no throw rugs. Is there anything else that you recommend?
Akemi Mercedes [00:19:12]:
I mean, keeping the whatever objects that they use most frequently, like at an accessible level. They're not bending on the, to the lowest cabinet or they're not reaching to the highest cabinet. And I mean. Yeah, it depends on their symptoms.
Greg Todd [00:19:36]:
Okay. We talked a lot already about the mental and emotional well being, how we can support them and, you know, just allowing them to do stuff. Is there anything else you would say, you know, to that? Because it's just such a. I don't know, it just seems. I, I'm not saying it seems so final, but it's such a big diagnosis.
Akemi Mercedes [00:20:01]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:20:01]:
Right.
Akemi Mercedes [00:20:01]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:20:02]:
And, and yes, I want to make sure that they're empowered. But are there any other things that a family can do to help to kind of push them forward? It's more groups. I don't know.
Akemi Mercedes [00:20:14]:
Yeah. No, no. Support in like forming your team is so key. And it also depends on what stage you're at. Right. Like if you're newly diagnosed, that is going to be a huge grieving process. And we all experience grief differently. We all experience trauma differently.
Akemi Mercedes [00:20:37]:
We all experience anxiety and depression differently. Some people, they hear a diagnosis, they want all the information as soon as possible. Other people, they just need to process their emotions first before they can even begin to think about, you know, learning more about it and where it can be done and taking the next steps. But support groups are really huge. And whether it's like, you know, a sit, like a local in person sit down support group and just talking to or just going to like a dance for pt, dance for a PD for dance class, or a rock steady boxing class, because you have the physical benefit and the social benefit. Gotcha. But the social isolation is another huge factor in that.
Greg Todd [00:21:25]:
Okay, forgive me for not understanding this, but do Parkinson's symptoms fluctuate throughout the day? Yes, they do.
Akemi Mercedes [00:21:34]:
Yeah, hugely. It can depend. Stress is a, like emotional and mental stress or physical stress can be a huge contributor to exacerbating the symptoms. And then obviously it depends on the timing of medications. It. Yeah, they fluctuate a lot.
Greg Todd [00:21:54]:
So medication stress, how about diet? Will that change symptoms?
Akemi Mercedes [00:22:00]:
So you do want to make sure you eat your, like, reserve your protein like 30 to 60 minutes before you take your medication, if it's the carbid of eluding the term. And then wait, like, I think it's like one to two hours after you consume the protein or take the medication to consume protein.
Greg Todd [00:22:21]:
So. So 30 minutes before. 30 to 60 minutes, 36 minutes before consume protein, take the medication, and then wait one to two hours, one to two hours after other for more protein. Yeah, that is clutch.
Akemi Mercedes [00:22:36]:
Wow, that's really good. Yeah, I mean, that's one of the biggest things. But I mean, also, like, just in general, following a Mediterranean diet has been shown to be really beneficial. But make sure you utilize as many resources to compose your team. It's not only just a general neurologist, but a movement disorder specialist who is a neurologist that's been specially trained with movement disorders like Parkinson's. Your pt, your ot, your st, your nutritionist, your social worker. Yeah, it's. Everyone plays a really important role.
Greg Todd [00:23:14]:
Okay.
Akemi Mercedes [00:23:15]:
And feeling supported.
Greg Todd [00:23:16]:
You said st. Which speech therapists? I'm assuming it's because of swallowing issues. Is that or speech.
Akemi Mercedes [00:23:25]:
Because their volume, the. The volume of the voice gets decreased.
Greg Todd [00:23:29]:
Okay. Okay. All right. That's huge. Strategies to help them with dressing themselves.
Akemi Mercedes [00:23:38]:
Oh, I need an ot.
Greg Todd [00:23:40]:
Okay, Jess, no. Sells independently. Okay, so refer to ot.
Akemi Mercedes [00:23:44]:
No, I mean, there is a lot of overlap between the two disciplines. Now I'm thinking Maylene, she has a lot of great resources, but yeah, again, there's a lot of great companies out there that make adaptive clothing. So, like, if the fine motor is an issue or the tremors. Instead of having to do one individual button at a time. Like there's the magnet buttons for the shoe. Shoes is another big thing. If you're still able to safely bend down and put on the shoe or bring your leg up towards you to put on the shoe, that's fine. To not deal with the shoelaces, you can have Velcro or those, those coiled shoelaces.
Akemi Mercedes [00:24:24]:
But I learned of a couple other great companies of where you can, you don't have to bend down. You can just slip your, your foot into the shoe and. But it's. The shoe still has a backing. So don't use the shoes where you can just slide in and there's no backing to the shoe because we don't.
Greg Todd [00:24:40]:
Want it to slip out and throw off their balance or whatnot. Okay. All right. There's some sensitive topics. Let's just deal with it. You know that they're starting to struggle with cleaning themselves.
Akemi Mercedes [00:24:51]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:24:52]:
How do you have that conversation?
Akemi Mercedes [00:24:54]:
Yeah, it depends on. Yeah. Where the clients level of awarenesses and yeah just their general safe self awareness and the cognitive aspect is another thing to consider. If you know the dementia, it can start to set in. Sometimes it's earlier for some people, sometimes it's later. But yeah, it is a very difficult conversation to have it. Sometimes it's more helpful to maybe have a professional come in because sometimes clients are more willing to listen to the doctor or the PT than maybe the son or the daughter or the wife or the husband. You could bring it up in a therapy session also just to have that facilitator there can be helpful.
Akemi Mercedes [00:25:48]:
But yeah, it's. That's a focal horse.
Greg Todd [00:25:51]:
Yeah, that is a difficult conversation. All right, let's lighten up a little bit. How about going up and down steps, you know, just managing the home because I know we hid the bathroom, we hit the kitchen, but I feel like that's just another spot where things could get a little tricky. Any advice or tips?
Akemi Mercedes [00:26:14]:
Definitely Handrail. Unfortunately not everyone even has a handrail for the stairs or the. It's extremely important to get that installed as soon as possible. Again, it would be helpful to have the in home safety assessment by the PT specifically because we all have. There's all different types of staircases and depending if it's just straight up or if it's, you know, goes in a curve, depending if the stairs are even to code. Sometimes stairs are higher or lower and then you know, it's just strategizing those like turns or those last Couple steps, but definitely a handrail. Depending again on the state of Parkinson's, it might be if, if it's financially feasible. You know, sometimes the chairlift is something that they'll need to do.
Greg Todd [00:27:09]:
Gotcha. Okay, prepare for like doctor's visits. Any advice you give to clients on how do I prepare for doctor visits, whether it's a caretaker or the case.
Akemi Mercedes [00:27:22]:
Please, please come prepared with questions because people always have questions before, like after meeting with the doctors. And you know, unfortunately, again, because of our current healthcare system, you know, the doctors don't have a lot of time to spend with you. Yeah. You know, it can be really helpful to have another person in there, just a second set of ears. You know, there are actually like Parkinson's journals or notebooks that you can buy on Amazon to help keep track of notes and changes in your symptoms. But really trying to be as open and honest with the doctor as possible. Sometimes the client may not be as open and honest as the caregiver because, you know, just struggling with admitting, you know, where, how you're progressing.
Greg Todd [00:28:14]:
Right. Okay. So I, I, I'm always tricked up with this Parkinson's cognitive symptoms. Does it go with Parkinson's?
Akemi Mercedes [00:28:25]:
Yes, it does. Is a combination, a huge combination of motor and non motor symptoms. Okay, so yeah, there's Lewy Body dementia. And you know, it's just can start out just as forgetfulness. Right? Yeah, I mean there can be a lot of similarities with dementia.
Greg Todd [00:28:46]:
Okay, can I actually like one or two more? Is that cool? All right. By the way, you're doing great. Okay. How like I know for me, I'm just thinking my family, especially my dad, which he doesn't have it, but I'm saying I know I'm very routine. How do we create a daily routine?
Akemi Mercedes [00:29:07]:
Yeah, what you tell people, because that can come into play with how their motor symptom or any of their symptoms, especially if it's the, like bradykinesia or the slowness of movements, if it's their tremors and the timing of their medications. You also have to work just with the body's natural rhythms. Some people are morning people, some people are evening people. You're not going to try and wake a night owl up at 6am in the morning. So. And yeah, like timing it with the medications with knowing, you know, what like, you know, knowing there's so much that is involved in, you know, the morning routine and bathroom and you know, dressing and getting ready for the day and also considering what is the plan for the rest of the day. Is it a Big day with a big, long appointment. Is it a big day visiting family? Or is it a day where you're staying home, but maybe your home health PT is coming and just if you do have a nice routine with like, maybe a virtual support group or an outside exercise class, just.
Akemi Mercedes [00:30:22]:
It is a big balance of timing.
Greg Todd [00:30:25]:
Timing.
Akemi Mercedes [00:30:26]:
But just having a plan is really important. And a general routine you don't want to get stuck in. Like, it has to be done at a strict time. The biggest lesson is just learning to go with the flow.
Greg Todd [00:30:43]:
Go with the flow.
Akemi Mercedes [00:30:44]:
You might have a plan for the day, and it might not be able to happen.
Greg Todd [00:30:47]:
Right. Okay, here's my final question. Best way to communicate with family members about this. This new reality for them, this challenges that we face.
Akemi Mercedes [00:30:57]:
Yeah. So conversations like in sharing the diagnosis.
Greg Todd [00:31:05]:
Or not even just like, yeah, I think sharing the diagnosis is one. But also just the challenges that now come with this new life.
Akemi Mercedes [00:31:16]:
So I just think of, like, the caregivers especially. Well, no, the client and the caregiver. Because, like, setting boundaries, I think, is a huge thing because nobody else, even the other people on your team, whether it's the neurologist or, I don't know, like, anyone else on the team and even the. Maybe your therapist, no one else knows exactly what you're going through. It is. So no one's in the thick of it like the caregiver and the client. Right. And so with the holidays coming up, for example, like, you know, oh, we want you to come over.
Akemi Mercedes [00:32:04]:
We're having this big celebration, and, you know, it's from 7pm to 9pm and. And knowing, you know, just how to draw that boundary and, you know, making sure that, you know, sometimes the family might try and do a guilt trip on you and. Oh, but, you know, it's so important. And what about your grandkids? And, you know, knowing that you just have to draw a line because this is about your health and safety, whether for yourself or for your loved one, and maybe offering different alternatives for them. Like, you know, we would love to spend time with the grandkids, but do you think you guys could maybe come over here for a little bit earlier in the day or, you know, something like that? Or if you're being pressured to host the holiday event, it's extremely difficult, but you have to draw those boundaries with them, so.
Greg Todd [00:33:05]:
Boundaries.
Akemi Mercedes [00:33:05]:
Yeah.
Greg Todd [00:33:06]:
Having good boundaries. Wow. I guess you do know your stuff with this, huh?
Akemi Mercedes [00:33:12]:
It's like all this. Wow.
Greg Todd [00:33:13]:
No, this is fantastic. Fantastic. I'm. So many words. So what we'll do is this. We'll put links below. We'll put in the show notes. I'll put different ways that people can find out about you and what you have to offer for the Parkinson's ghetto community.
Greg Todd [00:33:31]:
Thank you so much for being on the podcast. And I. I think that at some point you were actually in flow state. You were, you were just talking about the stuff that, you know, like you were in your flow state. So I hope that after this you don't have a hangover. By the way, if you don't understand what that means, go look for the other episode that I did with Aimi and you'll know. Thank you so much for being on the sequence for Success.
